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Giambi's legacy with Yankees? Generosity
www.newsday.com ^ | September 17, 2008 | Ken Davidoff

Posted on 09/18/2008 7:03:22 AM PDT by Publius804

Giambi's legacy with Yankees? Generosity

Ken Davidoff

12:00 PM EDT, September 17, 2008

It could be that Jason Giambi's finest hour as a Yankee didn't occur on the field, or in the dugout, or in front of a grand jury in San Francisco.

No, Giambi, whose colorful Yankees tenure is very likely coming to an end after seven memorable seasons, arguably shined the brightest in a back room of the Yankees' clubhouse, in the fall of 2003.

The Yankees were holding their "shares meeting," when the players who have been on the club for the entire season convene and decide how to divvy up the bonus given out by the commissioner's office to the 12 teams that finish in first and second place. Votes are taken on players who spent only a portion of the season with the club, as well as support staff like batting-practice pitchers, strength coaches and massage therapists.

Giambi, then in his second year with the team, quickly took charge of the meeting. Having been upset by his teammates' frugality the prior season, Giambi pleaded to vote full shares for the support staff, some of whom can earn as little as $30,000 for the entire season.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: baseball; jasongiambi; yankees
This is not the first account I've read of him being a good guy.
1 posted on 09/18/2008 7:03:23 AM PDT by Publius804
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To: Publius804
Aside from being a cheater who ripped off his employers by selling them a bill of fraudulent goods that he didn't fully deliver upon...

That said, he ponied up for an old coach of his in Oakland when he was wiped out by Katrina.

2 posted on 09/18/2008 7:16:33 AM PDT by misterrob (Obama-Keep the Change!)
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To: misterrob

Jason is hard not to like. Yes he did succumb when lots of players succumbed to steroid use.


3 posted on 09/18/2008 7:21:28 AM PDT by Publius804 (McCain-Palin '08)
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To: Publius804

It’s that he sold himself as something better than he was. He collected tens of millions of dollars he didn’t really deserve or earn.


4 posted on 09/18/2008 7:23:21 AM PDT by misterrob (Obama-Keep the Change!)
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To: misterrob

Earning tens of millions that they dont deserve is par for the course with professional athletes, i.e. Barry Zito in San Francisco.


5 posted on 09/18/2008 7:24:59 AM PDT by Publius804 (McCain-Palin '08)
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To: misterrob
It’s that he sold himself as something better than he was. He collected tens of millions of dollars he didn’t really deserve or earn.

He's a former MVP, 5 time All Star, led the AL in walks multiple times, OBP multiple times and has won the Silver Slugger Award twice. He didn't deserve the money he was paid? Yes, he's got the steroid scandal surrounding him, and he's had a couple serious injuries in his tenure with the Yankees, but all in all, I think he's performed quite well and earned his money, to boot. The only drawback that I see with him is that he can't hit the opposite way...

6 posted on 09/18/2008 7:29:08 AM PDT by Andonius_99 (There are two sides to every issue. One is right, the other is wrong; but the middle is always evil.)
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To: Andonius_99

And what role did roids play in all of that? What can he say about his 2003 and 2004 seasons when he had health problems? He had amazing command of the strike zone I’ll grant you but roids made him into an elite player when without roids and PEDs he wasn’t.


7 posted on 09/18/2008 7:40:01 AM PDT by misterrob (Obama-Keep the Change!)
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To: misterrob; Andonius_99

Jason Giambi has paid for his “crime” - his name has been dragged through the mud, he has had health problems, he was part of the Mitchell “unbiased report”. He gave into temptation to make money - yes, but he seems to be a decent generous guy.


8 posted on 09/18/2008 7:43:58 AM PDT by Publius804 (McCain-Palin '08)
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To: misterrob
What can he say about his 2003 and 2004 seasons when he had health problems?

If I remember correctly, it was a gastrointestinal parasite that hampered him in '03 and '04.

As far as PED's - I really believe he's off them now (he doesn't have that intense/rage look in his eyes like he did) and he's actually put together a pretty decent season. Granted, he's got a .250 BA, but 31 HR's and 93 RBI's is nothing to sneeze at.

9 posted on 09/18/2008 7:46:27 AM PDT by Andonius_99 (There are two sides to every issue. One is right, the other is wrong; but the middle is always evil.)
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To: Publius804

I saw Giambi drinking a beer at Mustang Sally’s on 85th and Second Avenue during the height of his steroids scandal. I heard he lived in the neighborhood. He seemed like a decent guy. He didn’t live in an ivory tower.


10 posted on 09/18/2008 7:55:35 AM PDT by beagleone (McCain: He had me at "Hanoi.")
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